Today we honor and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and echo his message of freedom, unity, and opportunity for all Americans. #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/MCW8b2rZJM

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) January 18, 2021

“Garth Brooks will be performing at the Joe Biden inauguration, joining Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. ‘This is an honor. I’m excited,’ Brooks tells reporters. ‘This is not a political statement, this is a statement of unity'” reports CNN’s Jeff Zeleny.

“Aides and allies of President Trump have been invited to Andrews Air Force Base at 8 am on Wednesday – and have been told they can bring five guests – to see the president off for a final ceremony. But some aren’t interested in going after Jan. 6” – Josh Dawsey, Washington Post.

CNN: “Once a fortress, security in and around Trump Tower on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue will begin to loosen possibly as early as this week when the building’s namesake departs the White House. The police presence will be scaled down once President Donald Trump leaves office Wednesday, according to a New York Police Department official. Streets around the high-rise that have been blocked since he became president will likely be reopened, and barricades are expected to be removed, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as plans are still being coordinated with the US Secret Service and other federal authorities. A communications center inside Trump Tower will no longer be needed and will be dismantled, the official added.”

“When asked about changes in security, NYPD Detective Denise Moroney said that they will continue to have a ‘robust presence’ at Trump-affiliated locations, including Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. After the inauguration, the department will reevaluate its security presence, she said.”

“Sources with knowledge of the process tell Fox News that President Trump is not expected to issue ‘protective’ pardons to members of his family, and is not expected to attempt a protective pardon for himself” reports Fox News White House Correspondent John Roberts.

“Despite FBI warnings of potential protests at state capitols on Sunday there were no demonstrations, armed or otherwise, at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau. Local law enforcement had prepared for the possibility of violence. An online flyer mistakenly listed the Dimond Center mall in Anchorage as the location of Alaska’s protest, leading the mall’s owner to close the shopping center on Sunday. There were no reports of protests on Sunday at that location or anywhere else in Anchorage. It was a quiet day outside of the Capitol, where it rained through most of the afternoon. It also was quiet inside the Capitol, where lawmakers were meeting in small groups as they attempted to form majority caucuses in both chambers” – Alaska Public Media.

The Detroit News: “The Michigan Republican Party wants to replace the GOP member of the Board of State Canvassers who cast the pivotal vote to certify election results in favor of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. With party activists calling for certification to be blocked on Nov. 23, Aaron Van Langevelde, a policy adviser and deputy legal counsel for state House Republicans, joined the two Democrats on the four-member board to sign off on the results. His term ends on Jan. 31. Instead of renominating him for a four-year term, the Michigan Republican Party has proposed three well-known activists to take his spot, according to a letter obtained by The Detroit News. Among them is Linda Lee Tarver, who was involved in a lawsuit that sought to have the GOP-controlled Legislature intervene in the results showing Democratic President-elect Joe Biden won.”

KMOV: “Sen. Josh Hawley has found a new publisher after his book was dropped by Simon & Schuster in the wake of the siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. The conversative publisher Regnery announced Monday that Hawley’s ‘The Tyranny of Big Tech’ will come out this spring. Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, has been widely condemned for his encouragement of the Jan. 6 protest that ended with a violent mob rampaging through the Capitol. Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify Joe Biden’s win over Trump. Hawley and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, also a Regnery author, led objections in the Senate to Biden’s victory, citing baseless claims the election was stolen.”

“Vice President-elect Kamala Harris submitted her resignation from her seat in the U.S. Senate on Monday, two days before she will be sworn into her new role. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve out the rest of Harris’ term, which ends in 2022. ‘As I resign from the Senate, I am preparing to take an oath that would have me preside over it,’ Harris wrote in a farewell post” – Axios.

The Independent: “The US Capitol is under lockdown amid reports of an exterior security threat, as a message sent to those in the area warned people to ‘stay away from exterior windows’ and ‘seek cover’ if outside of the building. People attending a rehearsal for the Inauguration Day ceremonies were reportedly evacuated from the area as the security threat was announced over the intercom. The evacuation comes just days after a deadly pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, clashing with security officials in a riot that left at least five dead. Reports of smoke rising from behind the building appeared to come from a nearby fire in the 100 block of H St SE.”

Update 1/18/21 10:48 AM EST: Appears to be a false alarm. CNN’s Manu Raju reports “Things seem to be OK at the Capitol. DC Fire’s Vito Maggiolo says the incident involved a small fire involving tent that is now out. DC fire was dispatched at 10:14 and the fire was put out. He said the response was ‘very minimal’ and it was ‘pretty much a non-incident.'”

On Saturday an FBI agent submitted an affidavit on the arrest of Guy Reffitt, a MAGA terrorist and member of the “Texas Freedom Force” who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, including the following details of Reffitt menacing his family leading up to his arrest: “On or about Monday, January 11, 2021, while Reffitt was in Reffitt’s home with Son and Daughter, Reffitt stated that Reffitt had to ‘erase everything’ because the FBI was now watching Reffitt. Reffitt further told Son that if Son crossed the line and reported Reffitt to the police, putting the family in jeopardy, Reffitt would have no option but to do Reffitt’s duty for Reffitt’s country, and ‘do whathe had to do.’ Son asked Reffitt words to the effect of, ‘Are you threatening us?’ Reffitt responded with words to the effect of, ‘Don’t put words in my mouth.’ Son understood statement to be a threat to Son’s life.”

“Shortly after the above threat, Reffitt threatened Daughter. Specifically, in Reffitt’s presence, Daughter was using her cellular phone to talk with friends. Reffitt stated to Daughter that if Daughter were recording Reffitt or put this (meaning Reffitt’s comments) anywhere on social media, then Daughter will have crossed the line, betrayed the family, and Reffitt was going to ‘put a bullet through’ Daughter’s phone. Daughter asked Reffitt why Reffitt was making them choose sides and threatening Son and Daughter.”

Dear @Twitter,

Contrary to how highly you think of yourself and your moral platitude, you are not the judge of humanity.

God is.

And you and…

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) January 18, 2021

Here’s the entirety of it, because there’s no point in embedding a dozen tweets here: “Dear @Twitter, Contrary to how highly you think of yourself and your moral platitude, you are not the judge of humanity. God is. And you and…Why do you allow these type things on your platform? Porn. Iran’s Ayatollah, who declares his intent to destroy Israel, who is our great ally. Hashtags on tweets like #killtrump…Yet you continuously abuse conservative’s [sic] opinions and free speech by canceling us. You see suspending and banning people every time one of the self appointed twitter police cries ‘@twittersafety!’ when their feelings…are terribly hurt by reading a tweet they disagree with does not make it the right thing to do.”

“Actually, you are playing a very big role in the dangerous divide of Americans and violating people’s guaranteed right of free speech. As you know…there are always consequences to every action. You learned that recently after you banned @realdonaldtrump. Within days of banning him, your stock tumbled 12% and you lost $5 billion in market share…”

“From my unique vantage point as the individual who consumes all of the U.S. government’s most sensitive intelligence on the People’s Republic of China, I do not believe the majority view expressed by Intelligence Community (IC) analysts fully and accurately reflects the scope of the Chinese government’s efforts to influence the 2020 U.S. federal elections. The IC’s Analytic ombudsman issued a report, which I will reference several times below, that includes concerning revelations about the politicization of China election influence reporting and of undue pressure being brought to bear on analysts who offered an alternative view based on the intelligence” whines Ratcliffe in the pointless bullshit memo that he puts out even though he doesn’t believe it.

Even among a group known for its constant bad faith assholery, this new line of bullshit takes their abusive gaslighting to a previously unseen low. No need to remind them whose fault this actually is.

Inigo • an hour ago
45,000 National Guardsmen, huh?
Biden seems awfully paranoid for a guy who won fair-and-square.
Mon, 1/18/2021 6:43 AM on ‘GOP senators wrestle with purging Trump from party’

Dikhurtz • an hour ago
Why do they need 25,000 troops to protect a supposed “Legitimate election”?
Mon, 1/18/2021 6:48 AM on ‘GOP senators wrestle with purging Trump from party’

Chairman Biden • an hour ago
25K of Biden’s Red Guard has been deployed to protect him from the people who “elected” him
Mon, 1/18/2021 7:05 AM on ‘GOP senators wrestle with purging Trump from party’

JDon the deplorable • an hour ago
All Communist regimes take power at the point of a gun, China Joey will be using 25 THOUSAND rifles to take power in this stolen election
Mon, 1/18/2021 7:33 AM on ‘GOP senators wrestle with purging Trump from party’

Clutchdriven • 32 minutes ago
If you need 25,000 armed troops at your inauguration there is a good chance you’re an illegitimate president.
Mon, 1/18/2021 7:54 AM on ‘GOP senators wrestle with purging Trump from party’

Curious to know who originated this. Did it come from a right wing website? Was it an American or a Russian who wrote it? How long did it take to spread to the dregs of The Hill?

“The votes are counted. The president knows it. In a few days, Joe Biden will be inaugurated. But for a portion of President Trump’s most die-hard supporters, none of this proves that Mr. Biden won a fair election and will be the legitimate 46th president of the United States. Some still don’t believe Mr. Biden will be the one taking the oath of office on January 20. ‘There’s no way that me nor many, many, many, many others would ever recognize this last election,’ said Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in New Mexico who founded a group called Cowboys for Trump. ‘I will never accept a Biden presidency,’ he said. When asked who would be standing on the steps of the Capitol for the inauguration, Griffin replied, ‘I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine.’ (Griffin, who live-streamed himself standing on those same steps during the January 6 riot, is now under arrest for entering the restricted area.)”

“After months of lies and conspiracy theories about the voting results, it’s clear that Mr. Trump’s false narrative about a stolen election has stuck with a core group of his voters. And even the sight of Mr. Biden being sworn in won’t change their minds. The deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters who were trying to stop the counting of electoral votes confirming Mr. Biden’s win showed how literal and dangerous this belief has become. CBS News polling released this week found that only 31% of Republican voters consider Mr. Biden the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. About two-thirds of total voters and two-thirds of independents consider Mr. Biden’s victory legitimate, while virtually all Democrats – 96% – see Mr. Biden as the legitimate winner. The data indicate that as Mr. Biden takes office, there are potentially millions of Americans who still aren’t willing to accept his presidency” – CBS News.

Axios continues with part 4 of its excellent series ‘Off The Rails’: “Attorney General Bill Barr stood behind a chair in the private dining room next to the Oval Office, looming over Donald Trump. The president sat at the head of the table. It was Dec. 1, nearly a month after the election, and Barr had some sharp advice to get off his chest. The president’s theories about a stolen election, Barr told Trump, were ‘bullshit.’ White House counsel Pat Cipollone and a few other aides in the room were shocked Barr had come out and said it – although they knew it was true.”

“For good measure, the attorney general threw in a warning that the new legal team Trump was betting his future on was ‘clownish.’ Trump had angrily dragged Barr in to explain himself after seeing a breaking AP story all over Twitter, with the headline: ‘Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud.’ But Barr was not backing down. Three weeks later, he would be gone. The relationship between the president and his attorney general was arguably the most consequential in Trump’s Cabinet. And in the six months leading up to this meeting, the relationship between the two men had quietly disintegrated. Nobody was more loyal than Bill Barr. But for Trump, it was never enough.”

Politico: “The FBI is investigating evidence that a woman who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 stole a laptop or hard drive from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and intended to sell it to Russians. The bizarre claim, which the FBI emphasized remains under investigation, was included in an affidavit describing the criminal case against Riley June Williams, a Pennsylvania woman who was seen in footage of the Jan. 6 insurrection in area of the Capitol near Pelosi’s office. And it’s not clear if the FBI has been able to apprehend her.”

“‘It appears that WILLIAMS has fled,’ according to the affidavit, which was signed Sunday and posted publicly after 9 p.m.. ‘According to local law enforcement officers in Harrisburg, WILLIAMS’ mother stated that WILLIAMS packed a bag and left her home and told her mother she would be gone for a couple of weeks. WILLIAMS did not provide her mother any information about her intended destination.’ A Pelosi aide was not immediately available for comment. It was not clear if a laptop or hard drive was actually stolen. According to the affidavit, a witness who spoke to authorities claimed to have seen a video of Williams ‘taking a laptop computer or hard drive from Speaker Pelosi’s office. [Witness 1] stated that WILLIAMS intended to send the computer device to a friend in Russia, who then planned to sell the device to SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service,’ the agent noted. ‘According to [Witness 1], the transfer of the computer device to Russia fell through for unknown reasons and WILLIAMS still has the computer device or destroyed it.’ ‘This matter remains under investigation,’ the agent concludes. For now, Williams is facing charges of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct for her actions inside the Capitol.”

“Rudy Giuliani now says he won’t on the Trump impeachment defense team. ‘Because I gave an earlier speech [at the January 6 Trump rally], I am a witness and therefore unable to participate in court or Senate chamber,’ he tells me.” —Jonathan Karl of ABC News

Thanks to FranklinSezChillax for the tip.

Donald Trump intends to issue 100 pardons and commutations on Tuesday, his last full day in office, according to a report from CNN that is sourced to two individuals involved with the discussions, but according to them, Trump will not pardon himself.

It’s traditional for presidents to issue pardons prior to leaving office.  The recipients of these pardons, however, might separate Trump from others in that he may issue a series of preemptive pardons to political allies and members of his family.

The sources told CNN that Trump had intended to issue the clemency orders in two tranches, one last week and one on Tuesday.  However, due to the impeachment and controversy over the storming of the Capitol in a coup attempt.